Art · Observations · People

Jacob Vrel, Known Only by His Name, and His Painting “Woman at a Window”

All that is known of the author of this painting is his name, inscribed on several dozen other works created between 1654 and 1662, presumably in Delft and Haarlem. Jacobus Vrel is one of the most enigmatic of the Little Dutch Masters, and mystery hangs over his canvases too, "

Faith · Books · Observations · Humour

Incredibly modern, given the state of affairs in our society, the fifteenth-century Dominican monk Giovanni Dominici, cardinal and persecutor of the Hussites, encoded in the chapter titles of his treatise "The Firefly in the Night" a quotation from the Go

The text, however, is anything but enlightening. And although Giovanni himself stressed that he was not versed in the differences between nouns and verbs and did not know the rules of grammar, he boldly declared that "Poets are the enemies of the true faith and must be removed far

Aristocracy · Archive · Observations · Mores

Andrey Rostopchin, son of Moscow's governor-general, looked far older than his years

"A man prematurely aged provokes surprise, if not fear" Countess Lydia Andreyevna Rostopchina applied this conclusion to the memory of her father, Andrey Fyodorovich. Not very flattering words, but the fact is that the younger son of the all-powerful Governor-General of Moscow really did look considerably

NB! · The East · Art · Museums · Observations · Paris · Humour

To gauge the level of early medieval Japanese sculpture, simply compare these wooden guardians with, say, the French statue of Adam from the 12th century in the Musée de Cluny

Art · Observations · Society

Medusa Gorgon, whom we remember as a terrifying monster with snakes for hair, a lolling tongue, scales, claws and a hideous visage, turning to stone all who meet her gaze, and asleep, beheaded by the valiant Perseus…

A sexist reception of the heritage of world culture leaves outside the brackets of memory the story of how Medusa was turned into a monster: the beauty, raped by Poseidon, found neither help nor consolation in the temple of Athena, protectress of justice, but received instead a curse from the

Faith · Museums · Observations · Humour

A unique artefact, of course, and the most astonishing thing is that for its own time this mask of an eminent preacher of the Covenanter movement was a far more ordinary phenomenon than it is for us

A unique artefact, of course, and the most astonishing thing is that for its own time this mask of an eminent preacher of the Covenanter movement was a far more ordinary phenomenon than it is for us. Alexander Peden wore this mask not as some manifesto but, as historians write,

Archive · Moscow · Observations · Mores

A week of balls in Moscow in January 1815, as described by Sofya Volkova

The Moscow winter seasons of 1814-15 were brighter and richer than the pre-war seasons of 1810-11. This is understandable: people were exhausted by the hardships of war, by ruin, universal gloom and interminable mourning, and when the time came, they returned to life with fresh and even

NB! · The East · Art · Museums · Observations

Tutankhamun's child's chair, ebony, bronze, gold, ivory

Tutankhamun's child's chair, ebony, bronze, gold, ivory. The armrests are adorned with gold plates depicting antelopes and plants. How utterly charming

Moscow · Observations · Mores · Humour

The interior of Andropov's Moscow apartment and his well-known modesty

It is a matter of common knowledge that Andropov was a very modest man. Yet, looking at the interior of his Moscow flat, it is hard not to ask oneself: why not summon a decorator, from some theatre or other if need be, or any other artist, to help make

Art · Museums · Observations · Mores

Ribera's Portrait of Magdalena Ventura and the Symbolism of the Spindle

To pose for Ribera, the 52-year-old Doña Magdalena Ventura was lodged in the palace of the Duke of Naples. It is believed that at this time she had just given birth to a child who, in the opinion of many art historians, is not depicted in the portrait:

Art · Museums · Observations

Cronus (Saturn) clips Cupid's wings as an image of time and carnal love

Pierre Mignard from the collection of Hélène and Guy Motais de Narbonne, shown at the exhibition of their collection in the Fine Arts Museum of Orléans. A naked man holds a nude child on his lap. What do you suppose this scene is really about? It looks for all the

Archaeology · Art · Museums · Observations · Rome

The Ludovisi Throne of the 5th century BC and debate over who is shown on its relief

In the collection of the National Museum of Rome there is an extraordinary marble block with a relief of a half-naked woman rising with the help of two attendants whose heads and shoulders, regrettably, have been broken off. This monument of the 5th century BC is usually called the